Giant Saw-belly
Hoplostethus gigas
- Usual depth265–1,150 m
- Water temperature16–20 °C
- Best monthsSeptember
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Martin F. Gomon, Museum Victoria, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Hoplostethus gigas, the giant sawbelly, is a medium-sized deep-sea fish species belonging to the slimehead family (Trachichthyidae). It is found along the western and southern coasts of Australia and near New Zealand. It lives on the continental slope between depths of 237 and 311 metres. It can reach sizes of up to 52.5 centimetres (20.7 in) SL.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Hoplostethus gigas”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 0 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 0 records
- April: 0 records
- May: 1 records
- June: 2 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 6 records
- October: 0 records
- November: 0 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 265–1,150 m · Deepest record: 1,520 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 16–20 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Giant Saw-belly, Giant Sawbelly, Sawbelly
Similar species
Deep sea perchHoplostethus atlanticus
- Rough-fish
Hoplostethus mediterraneus
- Thickspine roughy
Hoplostethus crassispinus
- Western Pacific Roughy
Hoplostethus japonicus
- Mediterranean Saw-belly
Hoplostethus latus
- New Zealand Giant Sawbelly
Hoplostethus melanopeza
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 69 open-data records from 1913 to 2000.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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